𝐌𝐑. 𝐏𝐑𝐄𝐒𝐈𝐃𝐄𝐍𝐓, 𝐒𝐈𝐑

@tacticaldeviant

" did you see we're in newspapers? "

this is not, truly, news for either of them, but their names are tied together now on the front pages of all sorts of tabloids and internet articles — the president of shinra electric power company has married . . . well, one of the men hellbent on destroying shinra. it's been pretty big news ; biggs has avoided leaving the house for any reason, lest people decide that he's somehow more interesting now than he used to be.

he approaches rufus's desk with a mug of fresh coffee and sets it down in front of him, careful of the papers that are scattered across the surface. marriage aside, they're still busy people — it's not surprising that rufus is not so keen on taking a break from the work. it tends to pile up after a break, anyway.

if Rufus wasn't married to the other—- completely and utterly in love with man he has made his life partner, he wouldn't dignify that question with a retort. of course he was in the news, Rufus was always in the news, but he knows this is different. Biggs wasn't used to all the attention and being in the limelight. paparazzi, reporters, etc now not caring whether his husband was a human, they saw him as headlines, gossip, drama.

a life that Rufus already never wished for Biggs.

however, they made their vows, and this was just one obstacle that can be overcame in a flash—- but as quickly as the wedding was, so was their honeymoon and now Rufus is here catching up on paperwork. he made promises to the public he needed to fulfill and things he wanted to surprise his husband with.

the suddenness of coffee on his desk caught his attention, hand over Biggs, his eyes catches the other in a soft gaze—- he was exhausted, and needed his husband for an emotional recharge.

"get used to it." he spoke softly, "you're going to be on the news, in a newspaper more often." but to Rufus is was a regular Tuesday.

his stomach growled, as if right on cue. hand off the keyboard mouse and pulling Biggs into his lap to rest his head on his chest.

"What are we eating then?" of course Biggs should know the answer, Rufus doesn't eat unless the other reminds him to do so. without these little reminders, he could be at his desk for a week straight, no food, no water, no coffee, just work. "I'm not picky."

The flashback has 5 y old Rufus seemingly wandering in his house in middle of the night, emphasizing a sense of solitude & then him immediately hiding in his room when he hears his father.

Only for his father to notice him & find him in his bedroom so he can get empty praise about the blueprints of for his office. It makes him a scary but also a pathetic figure while emphasizing that Rufus is basically cornered by him in his room & mirror so much better the scenes where he is kidnapped afterwards during the novel: Like when he was 5 y old, he wants to escape but is cornered in a room & has to find the right words in the hopes to not get punished/killed.

And yet, he's also a kid who wants to feel his father love & approval so when he tries to raise a point to make himself look good. And it's when he tries to do that, by pointing out that there's no way to escape (which once again bring us back that he wanted to get away in the first place), it backfires.

One of the ages where a human being is at its most vulnerable is when they are a child. The kidnappings happens when Rufus is at his most vulnerable as an adult, due to him being disabled.

In retrospect, I think it make the flashback look even more creepier after reading how furnished the room in Kylegate's manor is, which seems to imply the room is a sex dungeon: red walls, red ceiling, red floors, strange statues, whips under the beds and shackles right by the bed. There some emphasize with the way Rufus reacts to it: he's clearly shaken by the room & feels disgust when he discover the whips. Kylegate seems to mirror some members of the Board: He's rich in building the fortifications of Kalm & left a little legacy to the point their family name is used for a theater play. Kylegate also wanted to be the main architect & take leadership of Edge, which is remniscent of Rufus' father. He's brutal like Heidegger in a militaristic way & sadistic like Scarlet, with the implied sexual aspect of the room Rufus is stuck in. While his next kidnapper, Kilmister, reflects Hojo & used to work with him. Like him, he saw Rufus & his father as a mean to an end to lead his experiments & wanted to make a new Sephiroth.

Rebirth even has an easter egg about it as you can hear some Kalm npcs says this:

They likely refer about Kylegate's mansion.